Detective Hieryonymus 'Harry' Bosch finds himself yet again in charge of a case that no one else will touch. This time his job is to nail the killer of hot shot black lawyer Howard Elias. Elias has been found murdered on the eve of going to court on behalf of Michael Harris: a man the LAPD believes guilty of the rape and murder of a 12 year old girl. Elias had let it be known that the aim of his civil case was not only to reveal the real kiler but to target and bring down the racist cops who beat up his client during a violent interrogation. Bosch is going to have to take a long hard look at some of his colleagues in a post Rodney King Los Angeles Police Department that is rife with suspicion and racial hatred.